THE STATE OF THE BLACK
RACE
We have been in this country for over 400 years, dating back to when
the first slave was brought to the colony of Jamestown in the 1600s,
yet, 150 years after the signing of the emancipation proclamation we
find ourselves in the same social status that we were in from our
arrival; we are seen as less than, worthless, subhuman, degenerate,
unworthy, stupid, uncontrollable, and helpless, just as our ancestors
were. There was a time were we used to fight against this image that
was perpetuated by America, but now, we find ourselves living up to
the standard that was bestowed upon us; we have the highest high
school drop rates, less of us finish college and are in the “white
collar” work force, there are many of us on government assistance,
we have the highest rate of abortion and teen pregnancy, there are
more of us incarcerated or with a criminal record than there are
walking the streets. We have given in to the white man's view of us,
and the sad thing is, we don't care.
The state of the black race is in a sad place, we have let
foreigners from central and South America & Asia overtake us when
we have been and contributed more to this country than they have. It
is time we wake up and FINALLY progress forward as our great leaders
wanted us too. Medgar Evans was assassinated for standing up to his
belief that we should all have equal education; yet we are the lowest
in graduation rates from college and high school. Sarah Barrtman was
considered a “freak show exhibit”, but yet our women continue to
objectify themselves and risk their lives with butt injections and
plastic surgery for the attention and gratification that comes along
with it. Our men, have been emasculated, placed at the lowest end of
society, seen as nothing more than misogynistic, dumb, violent
hooligans, who don't deserve the respect that comes with being a MAN
first, and a BLACK second.
In the black community, we laugh off our problems and chalk it up to
“oh, thats just how niggas is hahaha” but when a person outside
our race tells us about ourselves, we get angry and THEN decide to do
something to make a change. This mindset that we can't do for
ourselves has to change, with other races and ourselves. The state
that we Americans of African descent find ourselves in, is a state
that has to change - such as when a liquid becomes a solid - we need
to come together to form one solid whole. Its like when you are on a
sports team, the coach isn’t going to put you on the field or court
until you as an individual can show that you can contribute to the
team to make it better. We have to put in the extra hours after
practice, in the weight room, the film room and evaluate ourselves so
that we can build ourselves up to find our rightful place in society
and not only progress ourselves or people forward, but society as a
whole.
In our present state, we are nothing more than a gas; like nitrogen
or carbon dioxide, we know its there but we can see it, but its been
there for as long as we can remember. We are the coal, deep within
the earth's crust, that over time, with enough pressure, can become
the shining crystal of a diamond. This is the pressure that is upon
us; 150 years after “we got free”, we are still trapped in the
slave mind state, that there is nothing to look forward to in life
than staying on the plantation, whether that plantation is a physical
or mental manifestation.
We have to believe that there is more for us, that we can officially
grasp the freedom that our ancestors DIED for. That we can be looked
upon in our society as an EQUAL, not an exception because of the
color of our skin, the style of our hair, the culture we come from,
or our mannerisms. We need to find our cultural identity and not be
ashamed because of it, because its not what “they” seem as
“normal”. We need to not be the butt of jokes because of how we
are as a people, we should be proud of who we are, and not let “them”
tell us otherwise. We need to better ourselves, not just to be
accepted into a world that has always excluded us, but for our own
benefit; our children are nothing more than genetic copies of us. If,
as a father, our children see us as nothing more than absentee, our
sons are going to grow up thinking that’s how they should be, and
our daughters shouldn’t depend on a man who isn't going to be
there. This leads the vicious cycle that is present in our
communities today. We need to learn to trust one another again, to
help one another instead of beating each other down again, to work
together to become a whole instead of the sum of parts.
The black race in the United States can overcome. The question isn't
can we, but WHEN will we? We are approaching another half-decade. The
time to overcome is NOW!
